N. Korea marks founder's birth as US gears up for provocations

SEOUL • North Korea celebrated the 110th birthday of its late state founder while a United States aircraft carrier group was in waters east of the peninsula, with Pyongyang poised for provocations that could include its first nuclear test since 2017.

Festivities including dance celebrations, music and fireworks commenced yesterday in Pyongyang, state television said, as part of the celebrations for the Day of the Sun holiday to mark the birthday of Kim Il Sung - the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

"Today is our nation's most auspicious holiday," the state's official television broadcaster reported as it showed thousands of young people wearing masks for Covid-19 protection and dancing at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang.

Jets and helicopters flew low over central Pyongyang on Thursday night, indicating a possible military parade, specialist service NK News cited sources in the capital as saying. In recent years, North Korea has held military parades at night and then edited footage for airing several hours later on state TV. But as at 7.30pm local time (6.30pm, Singapore time) yesterday, North Korea had not made any statement about a parade or shown any footage.

The South Korean authorities would not say if a parade took place or confirm the report from NK News. Unification Ministry deputy spokesman Cha Duck-chul told reporters yesterday that Seoul was monitoring the North's activities, including the possibility that it will hold a military parade on April 25 to mark the anniversary of the founding of its army.

North Korea had previously used the celebrations to show off its military might, parade new weapons through the streets of Pyongyang, and hold rallies demonstrating support for its leader.

US envoy for North Korea policy, Mr Sung Kim, said earlier this month that Pyongyang may be looking at a nuclear or missile test to coincide with the events.

The US Navy dispatched an aircraft carrier group this week to waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan for the first time since 2017. The show of force comes as the Biden administration tries to limit Pyongyang's provocations while it confronts the security and economic challenges posed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A military parade would be North Korea's first in about seven months, after it held a version last September that did not feature major systems such as ballistic missiles.

In October 2020, Mr Kim Jong Un put on a big display of new weaponry at a parade to mark the 75th anniversary of its ruling party.

That event included the display of a new missile designed to strike the US that was described by experts as the world's largest road-worthy intercontinental ballistic missile. Known as Hwasong-17, it appears to have blown up shortly after launch in a failed test last month.

Pyongyang could try to steal the spotlight from South Korea's inauguration of a new president on May 10 with a nuclear test, the DongA newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing an unidentified South Korean government official.

While Mr Kim has been signalling plans to resume major weapon tests for more than two years, the US' campaign to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine has reduced the risk of North Korea getting hit with sanctions for such provocations.

Any additional measures from the United Nations Security Council would require support from Russia and China, which has led the criticism of Washington's efforts to squeeze Moscow economically.

BLOOMBERG